Heavy item delivery: furniture, appliances and bulk freight

Anything too big, too heavy or too awkward for a car or van courier. As a rule of thumb, if it needs a forklift, a tailgate, a pallet jack or two people to move it, it is freight rather than a courier job.

A courier job is a dedicated vehicle going point to point, usually the same day. Heavy freight generally moves through a carrier network: picked up, taken to a depot, consolidated with other freight, line-hauled to the destination city, then delivered on a local run. That is what makes it cost-effective for heavy goods, but transit is counted in business days and pickups and deliveries land in windows rather than at an exact minute. If you need a fixed time or a direct run with no depot handling, book a van load or a taxi truck instead.

Four things: the lane, the chargeable weight, the service level and the handling required. Chargeable weight is the greater of actual weight and cubic weight, where 1 cubic metre counts as 250kg. Measure the whole footprint including the pallet, packaging, overhang and anything protruding, because carriers charge for the total space your freight occupies, not just the goods inside it.

We send a truck with a hydraulic tailgate lift. It is charged per lift and takes longer than a forklift, so allow more time in your window. A forklift at both ends is the cheapest and fastest option, and telling us you have one brings the price down.

Not as standard. Freight drivers deliver to the kerb or the first accessible ground-floor point. Moving goods inside, upstairs or into a room is a white glove or two-person service, so ask us to quote it at booking rather than asking the driver on the day.

Transit times are estimates in business days, not guarantees on a clock. The clock starts at the end of the business day the freight is collected, not when you book, and freight that misses a depot cut-off starts the next business day. Weekends and public holidays are not transit days, and a holiday at either end or anywhere along the route can add a day.

No, not by default. Freight is carried under carrier terms with limited liability, which is not the same as insurance and typically covers only a small fraction of the value of the goods. Insurance is yours to arrange: if the load is worth more than you would be comfortable losing, take out transit cover with a third-party provider before it is collected. Cover generally excludes inadequately packed goods, unpackaged furniture and second-hand items, so check the conditions before you rely on it.

Almost every extra charge comes down to one of three things: the freight was bigger or heavier than declared, the site needed equipment or labour we were not told about, or the driver was held up. Freight is reweighed and remeasured at the depot and repriced on the actual figures. Each pickup and delivery includes 15 minutes free for loading or unloading, and beyond that waiting is charged in 15-minute increments. Residential addresses, non-stackable loads, timeslot bookings and futile pickups are also chargeable, and each appears as its own line on the invoice.

Between and within Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and the Gold Coast, plus regional and remote destinations through our carrier network. Regional and remote lanes run to a set schedule rather than daily, so transit is longer and cut-offs matter more. Your quote shows the estimated transit for your specific lane.

We cannot accept cash, precious metals and stones, live animals, firearms and ammunition, illegal or prohibited goods, human remains, or unpackaged perishables. Dangerous goods, temperature-controlled freight, over-dimensional loads needing permits or escorts, and high-value consignments are accepted by arrangement only. Ask before you book, because freight declared incorrectly can be refused at the depot and you will still be charged for the pickup.